Editor's picks
A local's shortlist — the places worth your time first, each with a tip.
Kitano-chō
Neighborhood · Chūō-ku, on the slope above Sannomiya
The hillside of Western merchant houses built after the port opened in 1868, still lived in as well as visited.
Local tip: Most of the paid ijinkan interiors are thin. The free things are better: the walk itself, the views back down over the port, and the Kobe Mosque on Nakayamate-dōri — built in 1935, Japan's oldest, and standing through both the 1945 firebombing and the 1995 earthquake.
Nankinmachi
Food · Chūō-ku, between Motomachi and the water
Japan's most compact Chinatown — three short streets of street food descended from the port's nineteenth-century Chinese community.
Local tip: Eat standing at the stalls rather than sitting down in the restaurants; the buta-man and the fried dumplings are what people actually queue for. Go on a weekday, because at weekends it is genuinely impassable.
Meriken Park & the Earthquake Memorial
Landmark · Chūō-ku waterfront
The port park with the tower and the maritime museum, and a preserved stretch of quay that was never repaired.
Local tip: Sixty metres of the wharf have been left exactly as the 1995 earthquake left them — buckled, tilted, lamp posts still leaning. It is free, it takes ten minutes, and it explains why every conversation about buildings in this city starts with what year they were approved.
Nada-Gogō sake district
Culture · Nada and Higashinada wards, along the Hanshin line
Five brewing villages producing a large share of Japan's sake, using the mineral-rich Miyamizu water discovered here in the 1840s.
Local tip: Several breweries run free museums with tasting at the end — Hakutsuru, Kiku-Masamune and Sawanotsuru are all within a walk of each other from Hanshin Ōishi or Uozaki. Most Kobe residents have never done the walk. Go in winter when the brewing is actually happening.
Mount Rokkō & Nunobiki
Nature · Directly above the city
A 900-metre ridge along the whole length of Kobe, with waterfalls, a herb garden and one of Japan's classic night views.
Local tip: Nunobiki Falls is a fifteen-minute walk from Shin-Kobe Shinkansen station — you can arrive by bullet train and be at a waterfall in a gorge before your bag is unpacked. Kikuseidai on the ridge is the view everyone photographs; the ropeway from Shin-Kobe is the least effort.
Arima Onsen
Hidden gemNature · Kita-ku, over the mountain — still Kobe city
One of the oldest hot spring towns in Japan, with iron-red kinsen and clear ginsen waters, in a valley of old wooden inns.
Local tip: Almost nobody realises Arima is administratively part of Kobe. Thirty minutes from Sannomiya by subway and bus, or over the ridge by ropeway from Rokkō. Day-use bathing at most inns costs a fraction of a night's stay, and the two municipal bathhouses are cheaper still.
Explore 83 places across Kobe
Museums, landmarks, monuments, heritage sites and parks — mapped, with photos. The most notable spots first.
Museums & galleries
(34)
Museum
Museum
MuseumHakutsuru Fine Art Museum
Art museum
MuseumKobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art
Museum in Japan
MuseumKosetsu Museum of Art
Museum for Japanese, Chinese and Korean art in Kobe
MuseumDisaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution
Archive organization in Kobe, Japan
MuseumKobe Fashion Museum
Museum in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan
MuseumUroko House & Observation Gallery
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumKobe Lampwork Glass Museum
Museum in Japan
MuseumItalian House
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumKobe Artists Museum
Museum in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan
MuseumKobe Lamp Museum
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumKobe Kitano Museum
Museum in Japan
MuseumKobe Water Science Museum
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumOtani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City
Museum in Japan
MuseumBB Plaza Museum of Art
Museum in Japan
MuseumEmba Museum of Chinese Modern Art
Museum in Japan
MuseumSera Art Gallery
Museum in Japan
MuseumRokko International Musical Box Museum
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumMt. Rokkō Visitor Center
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumHyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art Ōji Branch Haradanomori Gallery
Museum in Japan
MuseumYokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum in Japan
MuseumTekisui Museum of Art
Museum in Japan
MuseumHyakkō Museum
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumKobe Municipal Science Museum
Museum in Kobe.
MuseumAshiya City Museum of Art and History
Museum in Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan
MuseumHōun Memorial Gallery
Museum in Japan
MuseumTatsuuma Collection of Fine Arts
Museum in Kobe.
Tawara Museum
Museum.
Treasure House
Museum.
Kobe Maritime Museum
中央区
Museum in 中央区.
Kobe Overseas Chinese History Museum
Museum.
Shell Museum
Museum.
Sumadera Temple Treasure House
Museum.
Landmarks & architecture
(2)
Landmark
LandmarkWada Swing Bridge
Bridge in Japan
Monuments & memorials
(9)
MonumentPort of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park
Monument in Kobe.
MonumentNishiyama Memorial Hall
Building in Chuo-ku, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
MonumentYokomizo Seishi Birthplace Monument
Monument in Kobe.
Ōzeki Syuzou Imazu Lighthouse
Historic site.
"Tetsujin 28-go" Monument
Historic monument.
Remains of Residence of Shigeru Mizuki
Memorial.
Birthplace of Marathon
Memorial.
West Motomezuka Tumulus
Historic site.
Guggenheim house
Historic site.
Places of worship
(7)
Religious
ReligiousChurch of the Wind
Religious in Kobe.
ReligiousUCCJ Kobe Church
Church building in Hanakuma-chō, Japan
ReligiousKobe Eiko Church
Church building in Shimo-Yamate-dōri, Japan
ReligiousShukugawa Catholic Church
Church building in Japan
ReligiousKobe Union Church
Church building in Japan
ReligiousAnne's Rose Church
Church building in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo prefecture, Japan
Heritage & archaeology
(1)
ArchaeologicalEgenoyama Site
Yayoi period settlement trace in Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan
Parks & nature
(24)
Park
Park
ParkKobe Animal Kingdom
Zoo in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
ParkSuma Rikyu Park
Park with botanical garden in Hyōgo, Japan
ParkKitayama Botanical Garden
Botanical garden in Hyōgo, Japan
ParkKobe Municipal Arboretum
Botanical garden and arboretum in Kobe, Japan
Park
ParkRokko Alpine Botanical Garden
Botanical garden on Mount Rokkō, Kobe, Japan
Park
ParkHyogo prefectural Kabutoyama Forest Park
Park in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
ParkVillage of Happiness KOBE
Park in Kobe, Jaan
ParkRiver Mall
Park in Kobe.
ParkRokko Garden Terrace
Sightseeing spot on top of the Mt. Rokko
ParkFutatabi Park
Park in Kita-ku, Japan
ParkShukugawa Park
Park in Nishinomiya, Japan
ParkKobe East Park
Park in Kobe.
ParkMinatogawa Park
Park in Kobe.
ParkZuihōji Park
Park in Kobe.
ParkSumaura Park
Park in Kobe.
ParkTsuzumigataki Park
Park in Kobe.
ParkSuma Marine Fishing Park
Park in Suma-ku, Japan
ParkMaya Shizen Kansatsu-en
Park in Kobe.
ParkKobe Sports Park
Park in Japan
ParkAina Satoyama Park
Park in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan
More to explore
(6)Tenrandai Observatory
Viewpoint.
Venus Bridge
Viewpoint.
Uwanari Spring
Visitor attraction.
Miharashi Observation Deck
Viewpoint.
Kitano-cho Plaza
Visitor attraction.
Hachimaki observatory
Viewpoint.
Data from Wikidata (CC0) & OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Images via Wikimedia Commons — see each credit. Listings are community-maintained and may be incomplete or out of date — verify hours and access before visiting.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.